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Wednesday, July 29, 2015

HOW I WRITE FLASH FICTION

Google that question and you'll find a plethora of how to's. Wiki-how.com has a numbered response with pictures for that
answer. Since the answer is readily available, I thought I'd tell you exactly
how I do it.

With Mondays Finish the Story – Barbara W.
Beachman gives us a picture and a first sentence prompt. For Friday Fictioneers, Rochelle Wisoff-Fields gives only a photo prompt. She expects 100
words while Barbara gives us a challenge of 150 words. I enjoy both and if you're interested,
please click the links to find out more.

As soon as the prompt is posted,
I save the photograph to my desktop. I make it my desktop background until the
story is finished simmering in my head.

However, the first thing I do is put myself into the scene – no
matter what or where it is. Then I start to detail my story through the questions I ask.

For a recent Mondays Finish The Story, the picture was of a black cat hiding
behind a curtain, his paws clearly visible, and his bright green eyes shining
through the thin material. Barbara posted the sentence "He thought he had
found the perfect hiding place."

I became the cat. Why would a black cat hide? Whom would he hide from? What was happening that made him
hide? From that, I fashioned my story Spells & Potions. See, it's that
simple. I also try to find a way to end the story with something fun,
unexpected, and surprising. It's not
necessary, just fun.

For a recent Friday Fictioneers,
the photo prompt was a winter scene with a pavilion. I placed myself at the scene and then asked the question, why
was I there? I decided for a first date. Moreover,
while I made it a lovely first date, with the possibility of more for
this young couple, and could have ended it that way, but I like a twist.

I read First Date to my husband and son,
and they immediately said, no one proposes on a first date. However, I had personal experience as proof
they were wrong. I've had such a proposal, not once, not even twice, but three
times – thank God, my dates didn't carry
knives. :)

I hope this gives you some insight into how I write flash
fiction, and an excuse to try one yourself. Once I see the prompt, I can
usually get the story written in a very short time. I always write, edit, edit,
edit, and then publish. The first draft is never good enough. Still the entire
process takes very little time, I'd say
from beginning to end, one hour, and it's
fun!

And now you have my secret to flash fiction prompts:

QUESTIONS

It's a technique I learned when my son
was young, and we had a long ride in the
car. He'd get anxious and cranky. So we created stories. I'd ask a question.
He'd give me an answer and then I'd embellish his answer and add another
question. On one such trip, we fashioned a story of how he and his trusty best
friend, his dog Peanut, saved the moon from a cheese eating alligator. He had
fun, and a long ride became much shorter.

I use the same technique of asking questions during all my writing, especially
when the story falters. Ask the right question, because there's always an answer!

While it might seem easy to put yourself into a photo prompt to get your story, you can do the same with a title, a list of words, or a sentence. What image do the words conjure? You're a writer, use that imagination and paint our story.

Detailed scenic writing is almost a lost art in the modern
day of quick stories – get to the action – and short attention spans. Denise's
scenic writing takes you to a destination
without a photograph because she creates the scene fully through her writing.
So check out the WEP blog and learn how add atmosphere to your writing. CLICKHERE!

HAPPY WRITING!

Do you have any secrets to writing
you can share?

Do prompts do it for you? Is it a title, a few words, or a
complete sentence that gets your flash fiction writing juices started?

I love prompts, some are more difficult than others, especially being from the UK and a lot of photos are US based. I usually bash something out, go away and do something else, read again, change words/wording or totally discard and start again. Once I think it's ready I'll publish on my blog and to Facebook. For this week's MFTS story that I posted on Facebook had a spelling mistake even after re-reading it several times, it was noticed and pointed out to me (with some jubilation in his voice) by my father. At least I know that one member of my family reads my stuff, ha, ha.

fabulous!! great tips! i will have to do this on our upcoming trip! love the cheese-eating gator!and i recentlly was prompted to write a comedy of horrors about a guy going bald and kitchen appliances... a hairy situation... ha!

Hi Tara, good luck with the bald guy and the kitchen appliances. Sounds hilarious just with that description. I actually wrote down the story about the cheese eating alligator, and he presented it at school. He loved it, and his imagination was bigger than mine. Still hoping for another writer to emerge, but he's busy with his job, girlfriend, and being twenty something. :)

Hey Denise, thanks, I do enjoy writing FF. As far as three proposals, two were on a first date, and the third was during a computer lab assignment in college. Silly really, but these guys seemed to be drawn to an independent adventurous woman, too drawn to, if you know what I mean. Where others were put off. One really hot guy I was looking forward to dating was so put off by my desire to experience life he never asked me out again. Made me very sad. He told me his desire was to get a job at the same steel mill his dad worked at and settle down with a wife and kids. I answered with what about seeing the world, travel, adventure? He looked at me as though I were crazy and said he had no desire to leave the valley. Never saw him again :(

I'm reminded of an old movie. Well, not reminded very WELL, because I can't remember which movie it was, or who was in it. (Some memory, huh?) Anyhow, there's a line in there where the guy (Bill Murray, maybe?) says, "Be the ball! Be the ball!" Sounds similar to your process when writing flash fiction.

I've never tried that sort of writing, but it sounds kinda fun. I'll check out those challenges and the blog hop later. Time to get out in that kitchen to rattle them pots and pans right now.

Oh, and you must be some hot stuff, girl! Three first-date proposals??? Verrrrry impressive. :)

I would love to hear from you, say hello and leave your blog address - I'll visit, but please take with you my undying gratitude that you stopped by for a read. Be well, be happy, and may your blog surfing bring you joy!